Swaffham Newsletter

National Women's Register
NWR a social organisation for women:
With groups across the UK that connect
women who are interested in everything
and talk about anything! Join us for lively
discussions, to share ideas, social outings, meet other
women and make new friends
New to this part of Norfolk or looking for a group of
active, forward thinking women. The NWR could be for
you. The group meet fortnightly, usually during the day
in each others houses/gardens as well as paying visits
to places of interest and meeting up socially for coffee
and a chat. Members come from Swaffham, Dereham,
Mattishall and other smaller villages in the surrounding
areas.
If you would like to give us a try (no obligation), please
contact Rosemary on 01362-820266. Or the NWR
website (https://www.nwr.org.uk) to see what this
country-wide organisation is all about.
Programme until April 2022
• Wednesday 19th January,10.30am Discussion:
Towers famous (Eiffel) or infamous (Grenfell), obscure
or well known.
• Wednesday, 2nd February, 2.30pm Social Meeting at
Poppy’s at Yaxham Dereham Road NR19 1RF
• Wednesday, 16th February, 10.30am Discussion:
Your favourite tree(s). What significance does this have
for you? What properties/uses does this tree have?
• Tuesday 1st March,10.30am Meet at Sainsbury
Centre for Visual Arts, U.E.A. Norwich with possibility of
following the sculpture trail in the grounds and having
lunch there. Parking - collect parking ticket from the
Centre. Travel by bus (No. 4 runs from Dereham through
Mattishall and through UEA grounds) Sainsbury Centre
for Visual Arts Norwich Road NR4 7TJ. Tel No. 01603
593199
• Monday 14th March, 2.30pm. Discussion: What are
the positives from the Covid 19 pandemic?
• Tuesday 29th March, 10.30am Planning Meeting.
• Tuesday 12th April, 10.30am Social meeting at Oak
Villa Café at St. George’s distillery for coffee and short
river walk. Harling Road, Roudham, NR16 2QW Tel
No.01953 665065
The Magpie Centre
Winter Sets In At Magpie Centre
As we go to press, the winter looks to be setting in,
and with it, increased costs for keeping the horses
and ponies at the Magpie Centre, home of West
Norfolk Riding for the Disabled Association, based at
Wallington Hall.
All our 14 horses and ponies live out, which means
that they are in their paddocks 24/7, except when
they are working, but they are well rugged, and all
have access to field shelters, hay and water at all
times.
Horses need a lot of forage (hay), in winter, because
a) they need the calories, b) the act of chewing
keeps them warm, and c) horses/ponies are ‘trickle
feeders’, which means that they need to have forage
going through their gut on a regular basis.
This is where YOU come in!
We currently have an appeal for folks to donate – no
matter how much or how little - to help feed our loyal
horses and ponies throughout the winter
Please might you be able to help us by visiting:www.
gofundme.com/f/winter-feed-for-the-magpiecentre-rda-horses
At the same time, we are hugely grateful for Metcalf,
Coleman and Pettifar (MCP) Solicitors, Kings Lynn,
for donation of £600 for staff clothing, to help them
through the winter.
Although the horses live out, they need to be attended
to every day, to check their welfare, hay levels, and
water supply. Therefore, the staff need good winter
clothing. We are so grateful to MCP Solicitors for
supplying this.
If you have a legal problem, MCP may well be able
to help. They cover family law, employment law,
commercial and regulatory law, so, if you think you
may have a problem, just give them a call on 01945
464331 for a preliminary chat.
We have also recently received a generous donation,
for which we are truly gratfeful: Morrisons,Community
Fund have awarded the Magpie Centre £1,000 for
tack for their newly-acquired horses.
Iceni Rural Writers
End of an Era for Iceni Rural Writers
In 2016 a group of ten women signed up for a new
and exciting project called Rural Writes. It was the
result of a partnership between Norfolk Library
and Information Service and Words and Women,
an organisation supported by Arts Council England.
Over a 10 week period, we enjoyed a series of writing
workshops in Swaffham Library.
The culmination of the project was the anthology Gull
Stones & Cuckoos, which was published in October
2016. Although the project officially ended with
the book’s publication, our group continued to meet
once a month; at first in Swaffham Library and then in
the Swaffham Community Centre.
Since the start of the pandemic, numbers have
dropped and it was agreed that the group was no
longer viable. We had a final get-together on Friday
22 October to celebrate our achievements including:
• The publication in 2018 of ‘100 Years from Then’, an
anthology marking the end of WWI
• Words & Women, 2 public celebrations in the
George Hotel on 8 March 2018 and 2019 to mark
World Women’s Day
Women & Words 8 March 2019
• A number of open workshops with professional
writers, including poets Martin Figura and Julia Webb
While members regret the end of group meetings, it
was agreed that we will all continue to write and keep
each other informed about local and online writing
opportunities. We send a big thank you to the staff at
Swaffham Community Centre, Swaffham Library and
Swaffham Town Council for supporting our efforts.
Leah Spencer
Highway issues
Norfolk County Council – www.norfolk.gov.uk
– 0344 800 8020
For Highway issues & faulty street lights:
- Highways - please give the location of the issue and
a telephone number where further information can
be obtained.
- Faulty streetlights – please give the precise location
of the light and the number on the column.
Alternatively visit the website and search for Highways
or Street Lights to report your concerns.
20 21
Swaffham Town Council
Tel: 01760 722 922
www.swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk
Town Hall opening times:
Town Hall opening times:
Monday to Thursday: 9.30am - 1pm (lunch) 1.30 - 4pm.
Friday: 9.30am - 1pm
reception@swaffhamtowncouncil.gov.uk
Town Council Committee
meeting dates - JANUARY 2021
• Tue 4th – Transport, Access & Environment Committee
– 4pm Town Hall
• Wed 12th – Full Council – 6.30pm. Town Hall
• Mon 17th – Market , Events & Tourism – 6.30pm.
Town Hall
• Mon 24th – Finance Full Council – 6.30pm. Town Hall
• Tue 25th - Planning & Built Environment – 4pm.
Town Hall
• Mon 31st – Assets & Open Spaces – 6.30pm. Town Hall